The Last Detail
by shangothrax
Summary: The Doctor needs the help of the Great Detective to make sure the greatest secret of the Time Lords does not get out. But all does not go to plan...


**The Last Detail**

**Chapter 1**

A letter came through the mail slot. It fell upon the side desk in a very nonchalant manner, which contrasted greatly with the contents of the envelope. The recipient knew what this letter meant, though at no time in particular did he expect it. As soon as he read it, he put on his coat and hat and left the house.

Outside was a chilly December morning in 1885 London. It had snowed, and the children played gleefully. The man hailed a cab.

"Hotel please."

"Right sir." The taxi took off down the street, though not too fast due to the inclement weather.

"So, sir, what have you got planned for the day?" the taxi driver started.

"Meeting an old friend. He needs my help. I owe him a favor after I investigated some deaths..."

"Got someone put away?"

"You could say that."

The taxi pulled up to the nearest hotel. The man threw some money at the cabbie, and the taxi pulled away.

The hotel had a very haunting look to it. Very tall, complete with gargoyle-infested spires above the roof. Yes, this was it, he thought. He shuffled his hands with satisfaction and entered.

The man, had, in his time, entered a large number of hotels, in his line of business. In fact, he had entered this exact hotel a number of times, but even though he was expecting what he saw, it wasn't something he thought he could ever get used to.

As he entered the hotel lobby, he noticed it was deserted. Except for the blue box right by the desk. The man walked up to it and knocked.

The Doctor opened the door of the blue box very slowly. "Ah, Sherlock!" He exclaimed excitedly.

"Doctor." Sherlock walked into the TARDIS. The Doctor quickly started tapping his fingers on the console typewriter.

"You got my message, I see."

Sherlock shuffled in his coat pocket and produced the paper. "You know, for a man so engulfed in... innovations, a letter is a bit primitive, is it not?"

"I had to make sure you came of your own accord within the context of your own time. Times like this, it is imperative that we are as discreet as possible..."

"Phone?"

"Line could be tapped in from anywhere" The Doctor paused. "...and anywhen."

"Ah." Sherlock paused. "So why do you need me?"

The Doctor quickly looked at the monitor and then turned to Sherlock and smiled. "I need a companion."

Sherlock laughed and then, examining the Doctor's face, switched to a serious, more contemplative look. "So I see the man did indeed...knock four times."

The Doctor's expression fell and looked towards the floor "Yes. Yes he did." The Doctor then looked at Sherlock and smiled again. "But I'm all better now."

The Doctor turned back to the console, and started typing away again. Sherlock was taking in the rather new look of the TARDIS.

"It's rather bright decor" Sherlock remarked.

The Doctor finished typing and turned towards Sherlock. "I like to think of it as sexy. Now, are you ready?"

"Ready for what?"

"Sherlock Holmes, you and I are going to save the universe!" The Doctor threw down a lever and the TARDIS dematerialized from inside the hotel.

Sherlock walked around the central console, admiring all of the strange little gizmos attached to it.

"So where are we going?" He inquired.

"A prison." The Doctor replied.

"Hmm."

"The prison contains an inmate that won't be able to contain him for too much longer."

"...so what are we going to do?"

The Doctor paused and smiled slightly. "Damage control. At least that's why I'm there. Sherlock, I need your detective skills - be on the lookout for any traps."

"The prison has traps outside of its cells?"

"It's a high class galactic maximum security quantum prison. Anything can happen - literally." The Doctor paused with an awkward, eye-popping expression.

"...but this is a prison. It has guards that work for it, surely -" Sherlock reasoned.

"Naturally, but they have isomorphic quantum-locked key wristbands."

Sherlock raised an eyebrow.

"Basically, they have these wristbands that are tied to their DNA that only appear when they're needed, but the prison system can always detect them, so as not cause them harm."

Sherlock nodded. "I see. Tricky."

"Quite."

The Doctor typed something on the typewriter and pulled a few levers. The TARDIS materialised in a desolate junkyard. The cloister bell started ringing.

"What's that?!" Sherlock exclaimed.

"The cloister bell. Sounds whenever the universe is in danger...or sometimes when I leave the oven on a bit too long."

"But last time...with those Cybermen...it didn't sound then!"

"Different kind of danger. They were just trying to destroy the Earth. This prisoner...has the fate of the entire universe in his hands."

They stepped out of the TARDIS to an emerald green sky. The Doctor shuffled his hands.

"Welcome to Pathos, Sherlock."

"This is..." Sherlock looked around, smiling with a completely certain sense of disbelief and amazement. "...an alien planet!" He exclaimed .

"Yes."

"Out of all the alien planets, we found the junkyard planet."

The Doctor scratched the back of his neck slightly awkwardly. "Yes, well, remember why we're here."

Sherlock knelt down and examined some nearby scrap metal. He rubbed it delicately, saw its purple shine on one side and degradation on the other, as if it was the victim of a malicious attack. "There was a war here."

The Doctor looked up at the sky. "Not quite."

"What do you mean 'not quite'?"

"I'll explain later. Come along, Holmes."

The men journeyed across the junkyard, and down a narrow path. The sky above them turned a rusty red colour.

"This place is absolutely beautiful!" Sherlock observed.

"It's a prison planet. One of the worst kinds." The Doctor replied. "We're getting close."

"Why is the TARDIS parked so far away?"

"This place isn't safe. If we landed anywhere closer, the prison's detection systems would have found it and then the TARDIS, and in turn, us, would have spontaneously combusted upon complete materialization."

"So what makes the junkyard so safe?"

"No one suspects a junkyard. Trust me, I lived in one a while back."

The men walked slowly towards the tall, decrepit, electrified building, being sure not to fall into the pit below.

"What's that hole?" Sherlock asked.

"The Pit of Despair." The Doctor replied.

"People actually fall into that thing?"

The Doctor nodded. "Prisoners are stupid." He paused. "A lot of them anyway."

"Where does it lead?"

"Null Space."

"What's that?"

The Doctor gulped slightly. "It basically causes object to cease existence. No one really knows how it works, but it keeps most prisoners from escaping if they reach this far."

"I see." The men walked carefully around the pit, and reached the gate.

The gate was solid black, with a padlock. Sherlock, knowing what was expected of him, examined it puzzlingly.

"Sherlock, you need not worry about that." The Doctor softly said from behind him. He produced the sonic screwdriver from his pocket and applied it to the lock. Nothing. The Doctor pressed the side button, extending the tool and pushed the button at the end, concentrating really hard. Still nothing. Sherlock tapped The Doctor on the shoulder, giving him a lockpick. The Doctor took it. Click, click. It almost worked. Then he examined it.

"Ah!" He mouthed to himself. He sonicked the lockpick, and tried again. Click, click...click. It worked. He smiled back at Sherlock, opened the lock, and slowly opened the gate.

"After you, Mr Holmes." The Doctor said in a quietly excited voice. Sherlock nodded, and the men proceeded through towards the giant prison.


End file.
